HERCULAN
The HERCULAN (Humaniform-Emulation Roboticized Combat Unit with Leg-Articulated Navigation)) or HERC is a bipedal armored fighting vehicle adapted for all-environment use. History The armies of the leading powers were just beginning to deploy the first HERCULAN fighting vehicles around 2470. The only perceived limitations of these awesome machines was the fallibility of their human pilots and were replaced by error-free and instantaneous Cybrid pilots. In a matter of weeks, almost all of the Cybrid development programs came under military direction. Cybrid-piloted HERCs began to appear in military bases around the world. Both Cybrids and HERCs were astronomically expensive to build, requiring a vast expenditure of precious resources that had long been exhausted on Earth, and that now came from the Lunar and Martian colonies. Despite the cost and risk, a new “AI race” began between the strongest multinational conglomerates and governments. Small covert wars started between those who had the resources to build Cybrids and HERCs, and those who didn’t. More and more Cybrid-controlled HERCs entered combat. The conflict escalated and went nuclear followed by the Cybrid Overthrow. Cybrid HERCs attacked all surviving military bases, all satellite networks, space ports and cities. The military caught on and regrouped and from the silence and smoke rose, quietly, the human Resistance with a few battered survivors who gathered in a concealed base which held obsolete, pre-Cybrid HERCs that were slowly restored to operational status. By using hit-and-run guerrilla tactics and scavenging weapons and technology from defeated Cybrid HERCs, the humans have endured for almost 20 years against the relentless Cybrid genocide, and have even grown in strength, spurred by the occasional capture of new Cybrid technology. Specifications Disregarding the bipedal locomotion, the HERC is similar to the armored fighting vehicles known as “tanks” developed during the 20th century. The main body contains the power source, fuel, and support electronics. Power is provided by a fusion reactor, the output of which is collected in a Master Energy Pool—essentially an advanced capacitor—and allocated as needed to the drive motors, weapon systems, shields, and instrumentation. On top rests the pilot compartment, a heavily armored turret which can rotate and elevate separately. Weapons are modular, mounted on hard points so the pilot can aim and fire them through turret control without changing vehicle course. This allows faster target acquisition and a finer degree of aiming control than a fixed body design. HERCs are normally dropped near mission objectives by airborne carriers and picked up afterwards, although some missions originate from bases. The bipedal drive system allows the HERC to manage varying terrains, turn right or left in forward or reverse, and pivot in place like a tracked vehicle. Its main drawback is its relative vulnerability—Human HERC designs must devote shielding, armor, and life support systems to sustaining the pilot, while Cybrid units need only protect vital systems like the reactor or weapons. Nevertheless, the wreckage of Cybrid units provides valuable salvage, readily adaptable for repairing and building Human designs due to their common ancestry and parallel development. HERC models include (from weakest/fastest to heaviest/slowest): Roadrunner, Outlaw, Raptor, Tomahawk, Patriot, Rhino, Samson and Colossus. Category:HERCULANs